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INTERPOL’s strategy for assisting Libya in the recovery of billions looted by Gaddafi and his associates

LYON, France – INTERPOL regularly receives both solicited and unsolicited crime-related intelligence from law enforcement agencies, private entities and individuals on a wide range of topics.

All such information is reviewed, investigated or forwarded to the relevant member countries’ INTERPOL National Central Bureaus. It was through information provided by members of the public in response to INTERPOL appeals that two previously unknown child sex offenders were identified, arrested and convicted.

Last year, Secretary General Noble’s private attorney came to him with the specific names of countries, banks and account holders as well as the amounts in these accounts totaling more than USD 100 billion allegedly looted by Gaddafi and his close associates. The name of the source of the information has never been provided to Secretary General Noble or anyone else at the INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters. The specificity of the information provided has allowed INTERPOL the opportunity to put in place a strategy for verification.

Since then, INTERPOL has been bringing together interested parties to develop an effective and coherent strategy, and to determine the validity of the information without risking the disappearance of those funds.

In line with UN Security Council Resolutions, INTERPOL’s Office of Legal Affairs has designed a framework for the creation of an INTERPOL Task Force. This task force will enable interested member countries and other parties to better coordinate their activities from a law enforcement perspective, whilst respecting the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. It will also provide a point of contact for the Libyan government in determining the credibility of information concerning the possible location of stolen assets.

Once established and endorsed by the Libyan government, any lawyer, bank official, or individual with credible information concerning the location of looted Libyan assets would be encouraged to contact the INTERPOL Task Force.

INTERPOL’s role is to streamline law enforcement and other efforts to help the Libyan people recover as much of the assets looted by Gaddafi within the legal framework established by the UN Security Council and the government of Libya. No financial recompense has been, nor will be, sought by INTERPOL in these efforts.